Really bad service new iphone 13 pro Tmobile

Took the phone to the Apple store. They found "significant" errors in the phones ability to connect to the network. The Genius Bar notes: "Ran cellular voice and service and this diagnostics showed multiple dropped cellular network connectivity. The diagnostics on our end show that out of 10 days of cellular usage there are 10 days of issues with connectivity". Verizon is sending 2 new phones. We will see.

Thank you for your post Rae Rae,

This issue has been job threatening as the disconnections occurring sound like hang-ups for those I'm calling or those calling me. I'm on my 3rd iPhone 13 Pro Max and had the Apple store test this one before giving it to me, and it failed the "RF cellular" signal strength test. There is no fix and the "genius" said he would escalate the issue. I'm finding out online that it's not just a bad batch distributed locally, but is common among many iPhone 13 owners. It appears to be a hardware issue and not limited to any particular cellular service provider. I have been using Spectrum Mobile, by the way, but have heard from others using different carriers that they suffer from the same issue.

Possible ways to work around

1. I was advised by Spectrum mobile to engage "wifi calling" so that there may be fewer disconnections in buildings
2. A youtube video advised resetting the signal from time to time by going into "airplane mode" closing all open tabs and then turning off airplane mode again. This seems to be a temporary fix though.
3. Honestly, any resetting of the signal usually only provides a temporary fix.
4. I turned off 5 G and selected 4 LTE only and noticed a big signal boost as well, so I'm thinking the 5 G automatic setting won't serve me at all and could be responsible for the signal jumping around and dropping from time to time.
5. I went into low data mode in hopes to reduce cellular call disconnections as well, but not sure if it will.
6. I also selected cellular data "roaming on" in hopes that helps.

All that said, there are many other suggestions from YouTubers on workarounds, but honestly, I think this issue is worth a recall since they haven't figured out how to repair the issue with a software update by now. The phone has been useless in the office I work at, with many disconnected calls and people getting really upset about it (e.g., "You hung up on me again! Why do you keep hanging up on me!).

Best of luck to those dealing with this and hope it's magically fixed soon, otherwise, I'm thinking of trading mine in for an iPhone 12 Pro Max.

I have this problem as well and think it has to do with the 5G service. It's unfortunate that T-mobile can't get a handle on their network or that Iphone is not properly programmed to switch between bands to get the best signal. My solution is to use 4g only and my service stability has increased dramatically.

Go to Settings ->

Cellular ->

Cellular Data Options ->

Voice & Data ->

Choose LTE

When I am in a place that may have good 5g service I switch it back on but it is hit and miss. I hope that with time it will be resolved.

I’ve had a similar situation. I was previously with Verizon and switched to T-Mobile in Sept (2021). I brought over my unlocked 12 pro. Before I switched, Apple did their 15.0 software release and that’s when my issues started. I kept dropping calls, people could hear me but I couldn’t hear them, texts would be marked as not delivered but the receiptient would receive them multiple times, etc. At the time, I thought it was due to switching carriers. I ended up trading in my phone for the 12 pro max. Same issues only worse. I was so mad! I thought again that it was probably a software issue but the T-Mobile reps never mentioned any issues. I am still in the process of returning the 12 pro max but switched to the 13. I haven’t sent the 12 pro max back yet and I’m glad I didn’t. A few days ago I saw the article about the new iOS 15.1 upgrade which specified fixing those issues…then I saw there are recalls on certain models for audio issues (can’t hear other party) that were extended from the 11 series to the 12/12 pro models. I updated my iPhone 13 and haven’t had near as many issues. It is a software issue. My problem now is because I switched phones, had down payments/taxes billed to me, “upgrade charges”, so on and so forth, my bill for one month was $1183!!! Now, I’m trying to talk to T-Mobile and explain that the causes were all due to Apples software issue but in the end, I don’t think Apple much cares let alone pay the part of my bill I would assume their software issue was the cause of. Now, before Christmas/Holiday time, my “free with trade” phone and bill has totaled more than my monthly rent. It’s insane. I’m so angry. Call T-Mobile and let them know what was going on then take your phone to the Apple store. It may be a faulty part as well. If you think of it, post an update. My bet would be the issue stemming from Apples software. Good luck.

Ok, I know this will sound crazy but it will work. I just recently be itching the last month got the standard iPhone 13 through T-Mobile. I will have full bars outside my house and uc connected and it will still have no internet. I went into cellular options and switched it back to lte and it works great. There is some kind of issue with their 5g and iPhone but if you put it in 4g mode it will work

I have since reset my network setting once and it has worked smoothly for a week. Another friend I spoke to mentioned requesting a new SIM card? If this fails, I will be doing that. My SIM card is pretty old — I think the last time I received a new SIM might have been 7+ years ago.

Start by contacting your carrier. Have you tried changing network settings between 5G, LTE or automatic?

It’s a problem of the iPhone 13ProMax, not the network. I have an iPhone 8plus and put my SIM on my new iPhone 13ProMax, the 4G sensitivity is much worse, very low signal, and not only the cellular but also the wifi.

Initially I thought because of the 5g reception activated (I have very low 5G coverage) but also deactivating 5g there is no improvement.

Apple needs to work a lot on the internal antennas, it’s not acceptable in a phone like this to have these problems. In the real world the cellular coverage is not perfect and the antennas sensitivity and reception is of the highest importance.

I don’t need a computer in my hands, I need first of all a phone!

I can confirm switching back to LTE has mostly fixed my issues for the last few weeks!

Hello Rea Rea and welcome to Apple Support Communities. It appears you are having some difficulty with cell service on an iPhone 13 Pro.

Keep in mind that dropped calls are generally related to network coverage or performance or vagaries of the specific local environment (i.e., wireless interference). That said, make sure you are running the most current version of iOS and that there is not a carrier-specific update for T-Mobile.

Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

If you continue to have issues, reach out first to T-Mobile and then directly to Apple Support.

Contact Apple for support and service

Cheers.

I perviously had an iPhone 11 pro max LTE and the phone was great. I got the new iPhone 13 pro max in September and I have been having so many signal strength issues from day one. Talk is fine, text is intermittently glitchy. Sometimes texts go through, other times not. The biggest problem is data. Initially, the phone was great, but then about 2-3 weeks into using it, the internet went out. I couldn't use anything on my phone that required the internet unless I was on WiFi. I called T-Mobile like 8-10 for tech help. They determined the phone was defective. I had to go through Apple to get a new phone, which was such a hassle since the phone was only like 5 weeks old. I got another phone and the same thing... It's a bit better now. It's like the phone gets confused or something. All of a sudden out of nowhere the phone stops getting data signals. Then I get one bar 5g or no bars, or 3 bars LTE. No internet. When I'm in the house I have to use WiFi. I have even stopped using my phone in the house and use my iPad- my 6 year old iPad works better than my iPhone 13 pro max!!! I have found when I'm out of the house the way to correct the issue is by reseting network settings. That will work for awhile. But the problem with that is I have to rest like 10 times a day- I'm not exaggerating here either. And then when I go home I have to plug in my wifi password again. I cannot believe that my old 11 pro max was a better operating phone than the 13 pro max. I cannot believe that Apple is putting out such crap for the incredible amount of money they charge for their phones (and everything else). So disappointed in Apple- I am a loyal Apple consumer... They need to get it together... this is not a T-mobile service issue, this is an Apple issue!

I have the exact same issue. Our phones never show more than 2 bars signal strength. When we travel internationally or Puerto Rico, our phones simply disconnect from the network and will not reconnect without a hard restart. That connection lasts less than 1/2 hour. The techs have us manually select the network and we do but it always disconnects and defaults back to the Auto network selection and fails to connect. WE have replaced the sim in both our iphone 13 pros, done network resets, account resets (done by Verizon) wipe and reinstall the OS and Verizon apps. No improvement. The techs at Verizon keep closing the ticket when the phone connects and blame it on the network. All other members in our part have iphone 11 and 12 and they never lose network service and all show signal of 3 or 4 bars.

In the end I simply gave up on our phones. There are those on here who keep trying to put all the blame on the networks but there are too many of us experiencing the same problems and even Apple official support agreed it was not a network fault. They did a factory reset by my giving them access to the phone but in the end I could not be cut off all the time.

My old Apple SE and the second hand Galaxy work fine so if your calls are important I would suggest buying a second hand phone. Great shame as these are the first Apple products to give us problems.

Don’t misunderstand, there are certainly some iPhones with bad or failed components out there, but Apple’s diagnostics have been able to detect that.

The issue is that these problems are not indicative of a widespread issue; over 40 million iPhone 13 family devices were sold just over the holiday sales period, and this issue remains not at all common.

In the end, as I’ve always stated, the very first thing to do is contact your cellular carrier.

If they say there is no systemic issue or issue with your local cell tower, make an appointment to have your phone examined:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

or contact Apple Support directly:

Contact - Official Apple Support

It is almost always a carrier issue.

I’ve described on numerous occasions what’s going on, and when people who have this issue find it fixed, it’s very rarely due to a repair or change on the part of the phone.

It’s likely the hard restart is simply causing your phone to re-associate with the cell tower, something more easily done by dropping in and out of Airplane mode.

If you believe it is your device, have it checked by your local Apple Store or other authorized service agent; there are tens of millions of iPhone 13 family phone users worldwide not experiencing the issues you describe.

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple